Delivery Outcomes of Pregnant Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Compared With the General Population and With Women With Other Autoimmune Diseases at a Tertiary Care Center

Updates on the management of inflammatory bowel disease from periconception to pregnancy and lactation

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects reproductive planning due to psychological effects and mechanical problems related to surgery. Children of people with IBD have an increased risk of about 10% if one parent has IBD and up to 33% if both parents have IBD. The fertility of people with IBD is similar to the general population, but fertility might be reduced in individuals with active IBD, ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, or perianal Crohn's disease. Flaring disease during pregnancy increases complications, such as preterm birth. Thus, disease management with appropriate medications can optimise outcomes. As most medications have minimal fetal risks, people with IBD should be informed about the risks of stopping medications and the importance of maintaining remission. A period of disease remission is advisable before pregnancy and could reduce the risks for both the pregnant person and the fetus. Flexible endoscopy, intestinal ultrasound, and gadolinium-free magnetic resonance enterography are safe during pregnancy. We provide state-of-the-art knowledge on the basis of the latest evidence to ensure successful pregnancy outcomes in controlled IBD.

Pregnancy Outcomes in a Cohort of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Data from a Multidisciplinary Clinic in a Tertiary Center

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can have an impact on pregnancy outcomes due to the effect of the disease activity and medication use. This study aimed to evaluate the pregnancy outcomes in IBD patients treated at a multidisciplinary clinic.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective cohort study including consecutive pregnant patients with IBD having a singleton gestation attending a multidisciplinary clinic between 2012 and 2019. The IBD activity and management throughout gestation were assessed. The pregnancy outcomes included: adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes, mode of delivery, and three integrative outcomes: (1) a favorable pregnancy outcome, (2) a poor pregnancy outcome, and (3) an unfavorable maternal outcome. The IBD pregnant cohort was compared with a cohort of non-IBD pregnant women delivering at the same shift. Multivariable logistic regression was used for risk assessment.

RESULTS

Pregnant women with IBD (141) and without (1119) were included. Mean maternal age was 32 [±4] years. Patients with IBD had a higher rate of nulliparity (70/141 (50%) vs. 340/1119 (30%), p < 0.001) and lower BMI (21.42 kg/m² (19.18-23.44) vs. 22.48 (20.31-25.59), p = 0.002). All the other characteristics were comparable. Most patients with IBD 124/141 (88%) were in clinical remission at conception; with maintenance therapy in 117/141 patients (83%). A third of the patients, 43/141 (30.5%), were treated with biologics. Exacerbation occurred during pregnancy in 51/141 (36%). The majority of the maternal and neonatal outcomes and all the composite outcomes were comparable between the patients with IBD and the women without IBD. Cesarean delivery was more frequent in patients with IBD (49/141 (34.8%) vs. 270/1119 (24.1%), p = 0.021). IBD was not associated with composite outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In pregnant patients with IBD followed at a multidisciplinary clinic, the pregnancy outcomes were encouraging and comparable to those of the women without IBD.

Pregnancy outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease: Data from a large cohort survey

OBJECTIVES

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can affect young and reproductively active patients. Our aim was to analyze pregnancy outcomes in a large cohort of women with IBD.

METHODS

All women with at least one pregnancy were given a questionnaire regarding the outcome of their pregnancy. They were divided into IBD pregnancies and controls depending on whether pregnancy occurred within or over 10 years prior to the diagnosis of IBD.

RESULTS

Three hundred questionnaires were analyzed for a total of 478 pregnancies that led to live-born babies. Age at conception was older in IBD women than in the controls. Active smoking was more frequent in the control group. The risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) was higher in IBD pregnancies (odds ratio [OR] 3.028, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.245-7.370, P = 0.013). The week of gestation at delivery was lower in the IBD population. And the risk of cesarean section was higher in IBD pregnancies (OR 1.963, 95% CI 1.274-3.028, P = 0.002). Among women with IBD pregnancy, the risk of preterm birth was higher in patients with active disease at the time of conception (OR 4.088, 95% CI 1.112-15.025, P = 0.030), but lower in patients who continued regular therapy during pregnancy. Similarly, the risk of urgent cesarean section was reduced in the case of disease remission, while the risk of a planned cesarean delivery was higher in patients with perianal disease (OR 11.314, 95% CI 3.550-36.058, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows a higher risk of IUGR, cesarean section, and poor blood pressure control in IBD pregnancies. We emphasize the importance of achieving disease remission before considering pregnancy.

Perineal Outcomes After Delivery in 179 Mothers with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Compared to 31 258 Controls: A Single-Centre Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Women with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] have an increased risk for caesarean section [CS], but perineal obstetric outcomes, which may have significant consequences for women with IBD, have not been previously studied.

METHOD

Maternal outcomes in singleton pregnancies of IBD and non-IBD patients [2014-2018] in a single centre were studied.

RESULTS

In 31 528 non-IBD and 179 IBD patients delivery by CS was more likely in IBD patients (p = 0.0021, relative risk [RR] 1.45, confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.81). Elective CS in IBD patients occurred in 40% for IBD indications, all in accordance with current international guidelines. Perineal trauma, including tears involving the anal sphincter, were equally uncommon in IBD [2.23%] and non-IBD patients [3.40%; p = 0.35, RR 0.64, CI 0.24-1.68]. Of the four IBD patients with clinically significant tears, none had pelvic floor dysfunction or incontinence at follow-up in a specialist postnatal perineal trauma clinic. One IBD patient who had a clinically non-significant second-degree perineal tear reported incontinence a year after giving birth. Previous perianal disease was not associated with significant perineal trauma.

CONCLUSION

The low rate of perineal trauma is reassuring for promotion of vaginal delivery in most IBD patients. In those who experienced tears involving the anal sphincter no continence issues occurred. Women with IBD having a greater incidence of delivery by CS was only partially explained by IBD indications.

Prescribing for pregnancy: inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases commonly present in young adulthood and it is estimated that up to one in 200 pregnant women have IBD. Key factors for successful pregnancy outcome are disease remission at the time of conception and optimal disease control during pregnancy, with active disease increasing the risk of adverse effects for both mother and baby. This article forms part of a series on prescribing for pregnancy and discusses the impact of IBD on pregnancy and the influence pregnancy may have on IBD. It highlights the importance of prepregnancy care and collaborative working between obstetric and gastroenterology specialties as well as focusing on prescribing before, during and after pregnancy, exploring treatment options for IBD which are evolving rapidly as new immunosuppressive agents emerge.

Outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth in women with hidradenitis suppurativa

BACKGROUND

Many women affected by hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are of childbearing age. To date, the literature is limited on pregnancy-related outcomes for women with HS.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate maternal and obstetric outcomes and treatment utilization among women with HS.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis used the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims Database. Pregnant women with HS (n = 998) and 5:1 age-matched pregnant women without HS (n = 5065) were identified and information on claims related to diagnoses, procedures, and medications were analyzed.

RESULTS

Compared to women without HS, pregnant women with HS had significantly lower odds of having a live birth (odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.51) and significantly higher odds of having elective terminations (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 2.13-2.96), gestational hypertension (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.12-1.84), and cesarean deliveries (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.06-1.55), and of receiving HS designated treatment during pregnancy (OR, 4.41; 95% CI, 3.56-5.46).

LIMITATIONS

Retrospective and convenience sampling and absence of clinical information to correlate HS severity and outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Pregnant women with HS have an increased probability of select complicated maternal and obstetric outcomes. Women planning for pregnancy or who are currently pregnant may benefit from coordinated care by dermatologists and obstetric providers.